Topic: The Nintendo Switch Online Subscription Service Thread

Edit: Hijacking this thread to create a main thread for all NSO service discussion/questions. Please remember that we're not Nintendo, so if you're looking for official answers go to:

https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Nintendo-Switch/Nintendo-Switch-On... (or similar for your territory),

or https://www.nintendo.com/en_CA/switch/online-service/faq/

Original post:

Ok so i wonder if fifa and rocket league will be aftected by the new subscription system. I wont buy anymore any of them to be honest cause i bought a switch to play not to pay to play. In playstation i can play online with fut even if i dont buy a psplus, will be the same thing here? If not il purchase only games for the story. | start to regret buying this switch. Same quesion aply for rockeat league to.

We don't know for sure, but I guess it will affect them. However F2P games (Fortnite; Paladins) won't be affected by NSO.

Also, you bought the Switch not to pay to play online? It was announced alongside the Switch that you would eventually have to pay to play online.

I bought it yesterday cause i see it on a coworker and he was having both fifa and rockeat and y say, well why not i does look prety decent and its portable. He didnt mention a subscription is coming to it. I purcahsed only Riptide GP Renegate for teh moment cause i like to play with my firends home. In rest i am still undicide....

If you go to the eShop, select the game you're worried about, then look at the fine line below the game details, that will let you know if an online subscription will be required.

I dont see any comment about that subrsctiption on rocket league here
https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/rocket-league-switch#ga...
And niether on fifa
https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/ea-sports-fifa-18-switch
Thats why i comed to ask somewhere where peopel are mroe informed than me

So actually it's his fault... Not Nintendo's nor yours!

I didnt say its theyre fault, nor anyones, its just anoyng cause i wished mainly those games to be portable, but il just stick with single player games for story.

@CamouflageRO It is only 20 dollars a year, instead of 60 with psplus, nso is definetly worth the money too, as it has nes games and cloud saves included.

The paid online multiplayer service was announced when the Switch came out. I have a theory that they were waiting till the system had enough multiplayer games that people would be willing to pay. As for what games will be online enabled without paying, if it's like other consoles it'll mainly be the Online Only games that don't require a subscription. So MOBAs, MMOs, and the like. Particularly if the game it's self wants a monthly subscription.

Sports games like Fifa on the other hand? Expect to need a Nintendo Online subscription for online multiplayer.

EDIT: Also, the subscription fee will be for online multiplayer. It will not gate offline single player game modes. Nor is it suppose to be required for local wireless multiplayer where each person has their own switch (and copy of the game)

"Nintendo Account required. Online features will be free until the Nintendo Switch Online Service launches in September 2018. For the latest list of countries and full details, please visit Customer Support."

Reading the Fine Print: valuable life skill

I'm gonna laugh if Nintendo's servers crash once this thing launches, lol

You would likely be the only one laughing. But I'd imagine there would be a whole lot of angry people who want to play their multiplayer matches "NAO!"

It's just...they always had server issues, I don't expect them to go away. Now we have to pay for it. (even if it's just $20 a year, lol) xD

@CamouflageRO
If you really want to play those games online and they end up using the Nintendo Online Service I don't see why you shouldn't just pay for it. It's extremely cheap.

BTW: if you know anyone with a Switch you can pay for the family pack (I think it's called?). It costs even less if you divide the price.

$20 a year.
Less than $2 per month.

Come on now.

it comes down to two things, do you have $20 and do you want any of those feautes

I'd already gone into the history of paid online service on consoles, and how the writing has been on the walls for nearly two decades. Multiple times. So I wont go into it again. What I will do is ask why people are so absolutely positive there are no servers involved with Nintendo's online capable Switch games. Especially with games like Diablo 3 coming to the Switch, which most assuredly do have central servers for online play. And sports games like Fifa which again have central servers for online play.

@FaeKnight Yes, those games have servers, but they are on Blizzard's and EA's servers (not 100% sure about FIFA, could be P2P), not Nintendo's servers. Blizzard and EA don't charge you to play online. Nintendo's own games use P2P (and I don't see why they would change that).

For online play, I'd say it's less open and shut that Nintendo's games don't have central servers. For local play, yeah it's peer to peer. But for online play, that hasn't really been how games have done things for a while. And with good reasons too.

But either way, the fee isn't going to be to use their servers, it's to use their Online Service. Same with Xbox or Playstation. Let's face it, the writing has been on the wall ever since Microsoft tried charging people a monthly fee just to play online multiplayer, and people were willing to do so. It's a bit late now to whine about how "I'm already paying for internet". Gamers should have collectively voted with their wallets when Microsoft first introduced XBL as a paid service if that's what they wanted.

Instead Microsoft got away with it, and Sony saw what was going on and decided to try to do the same. And it worked, yet again. People were willing to pay every month to play online multiplayer when they use to do so for free.

Is it any wonder Nintendo has decided to follow suit now that they have a console that's doing well and is considered a strong contender for the other big names in home consoles again?